The Spanish Conquest of Chile: From Almagro to the Disaster of Curalaba

Posted on Sep 23, 2024 in History

Diego de Almagro: In the year 1536, Almagro reached the Itata River in Chile and then returned to the Aconcagua River. On his return, he faced the indigenous people led by Reynogüelén in battle.
Almagro set out from the Aconcagua and began to search for gold in the Marga-Marga region.
* Land Grant: The grant consisted of a land title given to all members participating in the army of conquest.

Pedro de Valdivia

Valdivia sought help from the Viceroy to ease the conflict (1547). Through the Royal Decree, King Charles V granted him the governorship of Chile (1548).

Round Trip Route of Almagro:

  • Cuzco
  • Titicaca
  • Paru
  • Chicoana
  • Crossing San Francisco
  • Copiapo
  • Itata River
  • Aconcagua
  • Marga-Marga
  • Desert
  • Cuzco

Reasons Why Valdivia Came to Chile:

For a while, there was a desire within him to awaken his ancestors’ triumphs and glory; it was a quiet ambition.

Reasons for Founding Santiago:

  • Rivers
  • Fertile Land
  • Firewood
  • Military Strategic Position (Hill)
  • The Mapocho Valley had adequate agricultural land and an indigenous population

Forts and Cities Founded by Valdivia:

  • Fort Tucapel
  • Santiago
  • Concepcion
  • Nueva Imperial
  • Valdivia
  • La Serena

Destruction of Santiago in 1547:

The Picunches destroyed Santiago.

Defense Strategy Used in Santiago:

Seven indigenous leaders were beheaded, and their heads were displayed on horseback as a warning. The city maintained a constant state of readiness.

Layout of Santiago According to the Gamboa Plan:

The city was designed with a grid pattern, using string lines to mark the streets and solar signals to define the four sides of the central square.
King Charles V granted Pedro de Valdivia the governorship of Extremadura.

Cities Founded in the North of the Country:

  • La Serena
  • San Juan de Dios

The Conquest: Part II (1553-1598)

1553: The Battle of Tucapel and the Death of Valdivia

Lautaro led the indigenous forces to victory.

Governors of Chile:

  • Francisco de Aguirre (La Serena)
  • Francisco de Villagra (Concepcion)
  • Rodrigo de Quiroga (Interim)

Villagra assumed the interim governorship of Chile.
His work included the founding of the cities of Osorno and Cañete in 1558. He also established a labor regime for the natives, which stipulated that 1/5 of the indigenous population should work in the mines and 1/6 on the land. Children, women, and chiefs were excluded, with only people over 18 and under 60 years of age required to participate. This system was called the “Tasa de Santillana” after its creator, the lawyer E. Santillana.
The indigenous people worked in shifts called “mitas.”
In the province of Cuyo, he founded the city of Mendoza, named after himself.
In 1561, Mendoza left the governorship, and Francisco de Villagra assumed the role again, governing from 1561 to 1563. Villagra reformed the Tasa de Santillana and canceled the encomienda system for indigenous labor.
Pedro Villagra then governed from 1563 to 1565. Among his major works, he created the “Army of the Neighborhood,” regularized the encomienda system, and began to depopulate the forts to maintain a quota of indigenous laborers.
Rodrigo de Quiroga governed from 1565 to 1567. He sent an expedition to the island of Chiloe to colonize and conquer it (1567), led by Captain Martin Ruiz de Gamboa, who founded the city of Castro.
The Royal Audience governed for a few months in 1567.
Rodrigo de Quiroga governed again from 1575 to 1580. During this period, he faced attacks by privateers and pirates, the most famous being Francis Drake, who sacked Valparaiso. These attackers were primarily British and Dutch.
Martin Ruiz de Gamboa governed from 1580 to 1583. He established the “Tasa de Gamboa,” which required indigenous people to hand over 1/10 of the gold they found to the Spanish Crown and 1/9 to the Spanish colonists. In 1580, the city of Chillán was founded. Gamboa initiated a pacification campaign between the Biobío and Maule rivers and ordered the Strait of Magellan to be populated under Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa. The expeditionary force perished, and only a few survivors were rescued by a pirate who founded the settlement of Puerto del Hambre (Port Famine).
Alonso de Sotomayor governed from 1583 to 1595. He abolished the Tasa de Gamboa and reinstated the Tasa de Santillana. He ordered the construction of a fort in each city.
Martín García Óñez de Loyola governed from 1595 to 1598. He released the indigenous people who had been in rebellion against Spanish colonial rule, believing that this would appease them. However, the indigenous groups united and launched a major uprising in 1598, known as the Disaster of Curalaba. The indigenous forces began to destroy Spanish settlements south of the Biobío River, effectively pushing back the frontier of Spanish control and marking a turning point in the conquest.

Colonial Society

Social and Racial Hierarchy:

  • Upper Class: This class consisted of the aristocracy and was divided into two groups:
    • Peninsulares: Spaniards born in Europe who were living in the Americas.
    • Creoles: Spaniards born in the Americas.

Important positions were primarily given to Peninsulares, while Creoles were often relegated to lower and middle-ranking roles.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the upper class was mainly composed of Spaniards involved in the military.
By the 17th century, Creoles began to gain prominence as landowners involved in agriculture.

Entertainment:

Popular forms of entertainment included medieval tournaments and bullfights.

Economy:

The 16th century in Chile was known as the “Gold Century” due to the abundance of gold found in regions like:

  • Quilacoya
  • Marga-Marga
  • Villarrica
  • Valdivia
  • Imperial
  • Osorno

A barter system was used, with gold being exchanged for goods such as weapons, textiles, clothing, horses, cows, and other livestock. Agricultural products like olives and grapes were also traded.
Chilean craftsmen specialized in furniture making, utensil production, and cutlery.
Indigenous people were primarily engaged in mining, where they faced harsh conditions and exploitation. Diseases like tuberculosis and syphilis, brought by the Spanish, had a devastating impact on the native population.
Racial mixing led to the emergence of mixed-race groups such as Zambos, Mulattos, and Mestizos.

Council of the Indies:


patronage: the king’s authority over the Catholic Church, where appointed religious authorities and authorized in america religious congregations to come to america
The Spanish monarchy was absolutist in this era (the 3 powers in one person: judicial, legislative, executive)
House of Trade: controlled trade in america, people step aturozaba
IN AMERICA:
Viceroy
Governor: administration policy, justice, military and patronage.
Captain general high level military. The captain made up for the Governor General when it was not. Captaincy general subdivisions.
Corregidor: Provinces
Indendencia-1786 in establishing a chile de santiago and design.
Royal audience: court, controlled the governor and the church and supervised the treatment of Indians. was composed: 4 judges, 1 prosecutor, 1 president (governor)
Concepcion 1565-75 (it creates Pedro de Valdivia)
Santiago 1606 (think stolen garcia-mendoza)
THE council: traditional multi-member institutional body of the middle ages aimed at the administration and the common good. Functions: to represent the community, to ensure cleanliness and hornato, administer civil and criminal justice, the city food supply, control over the risk of water, ensuring the primary institution.
composicon: 2 mayors, six aldermen, seven officials, neighbors accredited.
officials in: attorney, sheriff, Alferez Real, faithful execution, steward, clerk, mason
Similarities and differences between council and municipality
Cabildo: custodial functions with shared character
Muni custodial function, a function shared
Cabildo: election undemocratic (exclusive members only)
Muni rector Elections
CABILDO open: all the neighbors involved accredited
CABILDO closed: only officials and some neighbors invited.
The councilors were elected through the proportional system.
COLONIAL SOCIETY
social and racial
-upper class: the people composed of the aristocracy, was divided into 2: Peninsular (all Spanish who were born in Europe and lived in america), Creole (all Spanish born in America)
the main office were appointed to the peninsular and charges low and middle-to Creoles.
in the XVI-XVII century upper class composed of Spanish and entrusted mmilitares
in the seventeenth century Creole terratemientes (agriculture)